Socket-wrench



W. A. ABEGG.

SOCKET WRENCH.

APPLICATION FlLEDAUGJS. 1919.

Patented Jan. 11, 1921.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

WALTER A. ABEGG, OF LOS ANGFILES, CALIFORNIA, .ASSIGNQR .OF ONE-HALF 'IO BALDWIN REINHOLD, OF LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA."

SOCKET-WRENCH.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Jan. 11, 1921.

Application filed August 18, 1919. Serial No. 318,098..

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, WALTER A. Annee, a citizen of Switzerland, residing at Los Angeles, in the county of Los Angeles, State of California, have invented new and useful Improvements in Socket -Wrenches, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to improvements in socket wrenches and particularly to socket wrenches of the character set forth in my application Serial No. 311,137, filed July 16, 1919, entitled Socket wrench. It is an object of the present invention to provide an improved wrench of this character which will be simple and inexpensive to manufacture. I

By the present invention a wrench is provided in which various sized sockets may be firmly attached to a single shank. Each socket is provided with a recess adapted to receive the end of the shank. The end of the shank is split and a set screw is arranged in connection with it so that tightening of the set screw will cause expansion of the end of the shank. The set screw is of a standard size andtype and its arrangement in connection with the shank is simple and compact. The setscrew being a standard size and type makes its replacement, if lost or damaged, simple and inexpensive while the simplicity of the arrangement of the set screw makes the process of manufacture simple and inexpensive.

Further objects and features of the invention will be readily understood from the following detailed description of a preferred form of the invention throughout which reference is had to the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure 1 is aside elevation of a shank showing a socket mounted on one end and a handle mounted on the other end; Fig. Zis a view showing a socket in section in place on the end of a shank; Fig. 3 is a section taken as indicated by line 33 on Fig. 1, showing the shank in elevation and the socket'in section; Fig. 4: is an enlarged section taken as indicated by line 4.& on Fig. 2; Fig. 5 is an enlarged view taken as indicated by line 55 on Fig. 2; Fig. 6 is a view showing a socket in place on a nut which is in a corner; and Fig. 7 is a view similar to Fig. 6 showing the nut in a different position.

Throughout the drawings numeral 10 designates the shank of the wrench which has a squared end portion 11. The shank 10 of the wrench may be made any desired length and its cross section may be of any configuration. It is preferred however, for purposes of manufactore, that the shank be square as shown in the drawings and that the end portion 11 be square also. When the shank 10 is square in cross section as shown in the drawings it is preferred that the edges 12 at the end portion 11 be slightly beveled off so that shoulders 13 are formed where the end portion 11 joins the main body of the shank. It will be understood that the end portion 11 may be of any desired cross sectional configuration and is not limited to being s uare. In cases where the main body of the s iank 10 is of one cross sectional configuration and the end portion 11' is of another cross sectional configuration shoulders similar to the shoulders 13, shown in the drawings, are formed between the main body of the shank and the end portion and it is therefore unnecessary to bevel the corners of the end portion 11 in order to form shoulders.

Mounted on the end portion 11 of the shank 10 there is a socket 15. The socket 15 is preferably a solid piece of steel having a recess 16 at one end and a recess 17 at the other end. The recess 16 in the socket is of the same configuration as the end portion 11 of the shank and is adapted to receive the end portion. In the particular form of construction shown in the drawings, that is, when the corners of the end portion are beveled off it is preferred that there be fillets in the corners of the recess 16 which will correspond with the beveled corners l2'thereby allowing the socket 15 to be slid in place on the end portions 11 until the end 18 of the socket engages the shoulders 13. Although the recesses 16 and 17 in the socket 15 connect so as to form a continuous passage through the socket the size and shape of the two recesses are entirely independent of each other. The recess 17 may be any suitable shape but it is preferred that it be hexagonal in configuration and be of such a size as to fit a standard size of bolt or nut. It will be readily understood how sockets may be made which will fit a standard size end portion 11 but will have difl'crent sized or shaped recesses 17 so that they may be used on difierent sized or shaped nuts or bolts or the like.

The socket 15 is firmly held in place on the end portion 11 by expanding a part of the end portion 11 in the recess 16. In the outer end of the end portion 11 there is a slot 20 which extends between the outer end surface 21 of the end portion 11 and a hole 22 which extends diametrically through the end portion 11. The hole 22 is preferably located at about the middle of the end portion 11 and extends through the end portion from one corner 12 to. the opposite corner 12, as shown in the drawings. The hole 22 and the slot 20 divide the outer end of the end portion 11 so as to form two legs 23. The hole 22 being substantially in the middle of the end portion leaves about half of the end portion solid and not weakened in any way. The hole 22 also prevents cracking or rupturing of the metal due to repeated spreading of the legs 23. Extending through one of the legs 23 at right angles to the plane of the slot 20 there is a bore 2a in which a set screw 25 is screw threadedly engaged. The set screw 25 is preferably a round ended headless set screw adapted to extend across the slot 20 and engage the inner surface 23 of the opposite leg 23. The head end of the set screw 25 may be provided with a slot such as ascrew head is provided with but preferably it is provided with a recess 27 which is adapted to be engaged by a standard wrench. There are holes 30 in the socket 15 which extend through the sides of the socket into recess 16. The holes are arranged so that one of them can be caused to come in line with the screw 25 when the socket is properly placed on the shank. The holes 30 being in the socket 15 allow the set screw to be engaged by a wrench or screw driver when the socket is in place on the shank.

It will be understood that it is only necessary that there be one hole 30 in the socket 15. It will be noted in the drawings that there are two holes 30 shown and that the holes are not diametricall opposite each other but are 90 apart. ne of the holes extends into one of the flat surfaces of the recess while the other hole extends into one of the corners formed by adjacent flat surfaces. When it is desired to get at a nut or bolt which is in a corner as shown in Figs. 6 and 7, and the position of the nut is such that the shank must be placed in and removed from the socket when the socket is in place on the nut, the holes 30 being 90 apart make it possible to place the socket on the nut regardless of the position in which the nut may happen to be. Fig. 6 shows the manner in which the socket may be placed on the nut in order to have one of the holes 30 accessible when a corner of the nut faces outwardly, while Fig. 7 shows the manner in which the socket may be arranged on the nut in order to have one of the holes 30 accessible when a flat side of the nut faces outwardly.

When it is desired to mount a socket 15 on the shank 10 the socket is placed on the end portion 11 so that one of the holes 30 is in line with the set screw 25; the set screw 25 is then tightened against the surface 23 so as to cause spreading of the legs 23 against the walls of the recess 16. The arrangement of the set screw 25 in connection with the legs 23 as hereinabove described makes it necessary to rotate the set screw with very little force in order to spread the legs 23 sufficient to grip the socket firmly. When the legs 23 have been spread in the recess 16 the socket is firmly and solidly held on the shank 10 and the wrench may be used as a solid wrench.

A handle of any suitable character may be formed integral with one end of the shank 10 or a handle lO may be provided which has a squared portion 41 similar to end portion 11 of the shank which is adapted to engage a recess 42 in an extension sleeve 44:. The extension sleeve 44 has a recess 42 at each end which recesses are similar to the recess 16 in the socket 15 and there are holes 43 in the sleeve which correspond to the holes 30 in the socket. hen a handle is not formed integral with the shank both ends of the shank are provided with end portions 11, as shown in Fig. 1. When the shank is provided with an end portion 11 at each end it will be readily understood how the extension sleeve 44 can be used to connect a handle 4.0 to the shank (as shown in Fig. 1) or to connect an extension rod or bar to the shank and thereby provide an exceptionally long shank.

Having described a preferred form and construction of the invention I do not wish to limit myself to the details as hereinabove set forth but wish to reserve to myself any changes or modifications that may fall within the scope of the following claims.

Having described a preferred form of m invention, I claim:

1. In combination, a socket having a recess and a hole through the wall of said recess, a shank having an end adapted to fit into said recess, legs formed at the outer part of said end, and means for spreading said legs, said means embodying a member screw threadedly carried in a hole extending through one of said legs, said hole being located in said leg so as to be opposite the hole in the socket when the end of the shank is in place in the recess.

2. In combination, a shank withan end portion noncircular in cross section and having a slot in its outer part to form legs one of which has a hole extending into said slot, a socket having a recess adapted to receive the end portion of the shank and a hole extending through the wall of said socket into said recess, so as to be opposite the hole in said leg when the end portion is in place in the recess, and means for spreading said legs, said means embodying a member screw threadedly carried in the hole in said leg and extending across said slot and engaging the opposite leg.

3. In combination, a shank with an end portion polygonal in cross section and expansible transversely, means carried by the said shank end whereby it may be expanded and a socket adapted to receive the polygonal end portion of the shank in any one of several relative positions; and the socket wall having a plurality of apertures therethrough, through which apertures the expansion means may be reached in a plurality of relative positions.

4. In combination, a shank with an end portion polygonal in cross section and expansible transversely, means carried by the said shank end whereby it may-be expanded, said expansion means being entirely within the shank and not protruding therefrom when operated to allow contraction of the shank, and a socket adapted to receive the polygonal end portion of the shank in any one of several relative positions; and the socket wall having a plurality of apertures therethrough, through which apertures the expansion means may be reached in a plurality. of relative positions.

In witness that I claim the foregoing I have hereunto subscribed my name this 7th day of August 1919.

WALTER A. ABEGG.

Witnesses:

VIRGINIA I. BERINGER, WM. H. MAXWELL. 

